Pearl Harbor Survivor Bill Langston of Cohoes who served on the USS West Virginia. The Albany County Pearl Harbor memorial at the Joseph Zaloga VFW Post in Albany. (Mike McMahon / The Record)

ALBANY - It was a day that will live in infamy and a day that will not be forgotten. In remembrance of the 71st anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, more than 150 people gathered at the J.E. Zaloga American Legion Post. Included among them were four Pearl Harbor survivors, with a total of six local survivors recognized.

Langston, a fireman, served aboard the battleship USS West Virginia, which took six torpedoes on the port side and two armor piercing bomb hits. The ship did not capsize but it did settle upright on the bottom of the harbor. Fellow Cohosier survivor John Sloboda of the 18th Fighter Group, Wheeler Field, recently passed away.

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Gunners Mate 1st Class Bartholomew, stationed on the USS Pennsylvania, later served on the USS Hutchins in the Pacific. Seaman 1st Class Ebel was aboard the seaplane tender USS Curtis, which sighted a periscope and fired at it, narrowly evading a torpedo. A plane shot down crashed into a crane on the ship and she took a bomb hit which killed 19 below decks.

Chief Warrant Officer Dooren was on the USS New Orleans, at which a fragmentation bomb exploded close aboard causing injuries but the crew fired anti-aircraft guns manually and ammunition was passed to the guns manually. Carpenters Mate 1st Class Grimm was on the USS Cummings, which was straddled by bombs and fragments. And Seaman 1st Class Krenn was on his way to his battle station, the port anti-craft director, when he was blown over the side from a torpedo hitting the ship. He swam around the USS West Virginia to Ford Island.

The breakfast event and ceremony had a small table in the front of the banquet hall with a white table cloth, single red rose, and lone chair. Jerry Perry of the Zaloga Post explained the symbolism of the table set for those called POWs and MIAs. "They are called POWs and MIAs, we call them comrades," he said, noting that the various aspects of the table recognized the blood shed and the purity of the intents of the soldiers.

On Dec. 7, 1941, three destroyers were sunk, 200 airplanes destroyed, 2,403 people fell that day and 640 remain unaccounted for.

A speaker said that at points the respect and reverence of the soldiers lost that day has been palpable. Albany County Executive Dan McCoy also said to remember those who did not wear a uniform but also played a part.

"This is a vital reminder that it was these battles and sacrifices which keep America safe," said Rensselaer County Executive Kathy Jimino. "Pearl Harbor Day is a day that cannot and will not be forgotten."

Those who volunteer on the local USS Slater were mentioned at the event, which also featured Congressman Paul Tonko and Supervisor Paula Mahan.